Driving mechanism for railway-car generators



May 5,1925. 1,536,529

W. R. RICHARDS DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CAR GENERATORS Filed March 10, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet l l um llll n May 5, 1925.

W. R. RlCHARDS DRIVING MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CAR GENERATORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March l0 924 Patented May 5, W25.

WILLARD REA RICHARDS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DRIVING MECH ANISM FOR. RAILWAY-CAR GENERATORS.

Application filed March 10, 1924. Serial No. 698,34

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLARD REA RICEP.

ARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Driving Mechanism for Railway-Car Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the driving mechanisms for generators em ployed in connection with the car-lighting systems of railway cars.

Its chief object is to provide a reliable and positive drive of this character which has the necessary flexibility to permit the full movement of the car-axle in all planes.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means for effectually maintaining the driving and driven elements of the mechanism in their pro-per relative positions regardless of the movements of the car-axle in any direction.

Another object is to so construct the drive mechanism that the car-lighting generator can be driven from it through the instrumentality of gearing, belt and pulley, sprocket and chain, or other form of final drive.

A further object of the invention is to provide the drive mechanism with a selfundue strain and breakage of the parts when starting and stopping the train.

A still further object is to produce a positive drive of this character whose parts are so constructed and arranged as to provide a maximum of accessibility and permit the easy removal and replacement of the caraxle and wheels without in any way disturbing such drive-parts.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the im proved drive mechanism as applied to a railway car between the axle and the generator. Figure 2 is a top plan View thereof. F igure 3 is a front end View of the same. Figures 1 and 5 are enlarged vertical longi tudinal sections on the correspondingly numbered lines in Fig. 2. Figure 6 is an enlarged transverse vertical section on line 6-6, Fig. 2. Figure 7 is an enlarged transverse section on line 77, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary horizontal section, on an enlarged scale, on line M, Fig. 7.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings, 10 indicates the car axle supported in the usual manner in the truck-frame 11, and 12 indicates the car-lighting generator suitably fastened to the car body 13 with its armature shaft 14 arranged parallel with the longitudinal axis of the car.

Arranged on one side of the car axle to swing toward and from the same, is a suitable hanger 15 suspended from a horizontal fulcrum pin 16 disposed transversely of the truck-frame and supported in bearings 17. Journaled in bearings 18 in the lower end of this hanger is a horizontal driven shaft 19 arranged parallel with the car axle. Mounted on the latter to turn therewith is a driving member, preferably in the form of a gear wheel 20, which meshes with a pinion 21 mounted on the shaft 19, the face of said pinion being wider than that of said gear to permit the teeth of these parts to remain in mesh at all times during the movements of the car axle transversely of the truck-frame. As shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the gear may be constructed of two sections fastened about the axle by bolts 22. Mounted on one end of the driven shaft and housed within a suitable case 23 attached to the hanger, is a bevel gear 2!: which meshes with a corresponding gear 25 secured to one end of a propeller-shaft 26 arranged lengthwise of the car-body and connected at its other end to the generator-shaft 14. This propeller-shaft is composed of telescopically connected sections which are adapted to slide relatively to one another as the hanger 15 swings in one direction or the other. Universal joints 27 applied to the sections permit a free angular movement of this shaft when the car is rounding a curve.

Means are provided for maintaining the pitch circles or diameters of the driving gear 20 and pinion 21 in contact or in their proper tangential relation regardless of any movement of the car axle relatively to the car truck. For this purpose, the car axle and driven shaft are provided with distance drums or wheels28, 29, respectively, which are constantly held in contact with each other, the diameters of these drums being equal to the pitch diameters of the gear and pinion, respectively. In order to maintain these drums in rolling contact at all times, irrespective of any fore and aft or vertical movement of the car-axle, a yielding connection is provided between the shaft hanger and the truck-frame 11 or other adjacent fixed part. As shown in Fig. 4, this yielding connection consists of a shiftable rod arranged lengthwise of the car body and pivoted at one end to a projection 31 formed on the hanger while its other end is guided in an opening 32 formed in a bracket 83 secured to the truck-frame. Surrounding this rod is a coil spring 31- which bears at one end against the bracket and at its other end against a washer 35 applied to said rod. The tension of this spring may be adjusted by means of the nut 36, whereby the shafthanger is permitted to yield in a direction away from the car-axle, but constantly urged toward the latter to keep the distance drums in contact At its free end this shiftable rod may be provided with a nut 37 which serves to limit the movement of the shzift-hanger in a direction toward the car ax e.

The tension of this spring is such as to maintain a normal driving engagement between the gear and the pinion and to prevent any undue strain or shocks being transmitted to these parts, such as the shocks incident to the application of the brakes.

By this construction, the distance drums serve at all times to keep the gear 20 and pinion 21 in proper engagement by maintaining the pitch diameters of the latter in a constant relative position regardless of any movement of the car-axle with relation to the car-truck, thereby insuring a positive driving connection from the axle to the generator and at the same time avoiding jamming and grinding of the gear teeth.

For the purpose of relieving the various parts of this driving mechanism from any strains or shocks caused by the starting and stopping of the train, a cushioning or shock absorbing mechanism is provided. As shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8, this cushioning mechanism is interposed between the pinion 21 and its shaft 19 and preferably co'nstructed as follows:

The distance drum 29 consists of two opposing hollow sections 38, 39, one of which is keyed to the shaft, as shown at 40, while the other section is provided with a hub or extension sleeve 41 which is loosely mounted on the driven shaft and to which the pinion is keyed, as shown at 42. Mounted on the hub of the drum-section 38 and contained centrally within the chamber 43 formed by the opposing hollow sections, is a bull-ring '14; which is provided on its opposite sides with outwardly-facing lugs or projections 45. The drumsections are provided with similar lugs or projections 46 extending into the chamber on opposite sides of the bull ring and adapted to abut against the corresponding lugs thereof. Arranged in this drum-chamber on each side of the bull ring, are circular coil springs 47 which surround the hub portions of the drunrsections, each spring bearing at one end against one of the bull-ring lugs and at its other end against; the opposing lug 46 on the companion drumsection. These springs, as thus arranged, act as the shock-absorbing elements between the pinion and its driven shaft, and function in either direction of rotation of the shaft in accordance with the direction of the trains movement.

By thus interposing a flexible connection or cushion between the pinion and its shaft, sudden shocks and jerks incident to the starting and stopping of the train are absorbed, thereby relieving the pinion and its driving gear as well as the final drive connection to the generator from undue strain and preventing breakage of these parts.

This improved driving mechanism, while simple and compact in construction, insures a positive and reliable drive from the caraxle to the generator, and possesses the necessary flexibility to provide for the full movement of the axle in all planes. Furthermore, the use of a special axle is eliminated, and the construction and arrangement of the parts is such as to provide a maximum of accessibility and to permit the ready re moval of the axle without disturbing the generator drive.

\Vhile in the embodiment of the invention herein shown and described, the final drive to the generator consists of bevel gears 24, 25, and a propeller shaft 26, it is to be understood that any other form of final drive, such for example, as belt and pulley or chain and sprocket, may be employed, if desired.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with a car-body and a car-axle, of a generator mounted on the car body, a gear wheel mounted on the axle, a shaft-hanger supported for swinging movement toward and from said axle, a

shaft journaled in said hanger parallel with said axle, a pinion mounted on said shaft and meshing with said gear wheel, co-operating distance drums mounted on said axle and said shaft for maintaining the gear wheel and the pinion constantly in proper mesh regardless of any movements of the car axle relative to the driven shaft, and means for transmitting motion from said shaft to said generator.

2. In a drive mechanism of the character described, the combination with a car-axle and a generator, of a gear wheel mounted on the axle, a shaft hanger supported for ion swinging movement toward and from said axle, a shaft journaled in said hanger parallel with said axle, a pinion mounted on said shaft and meshing with said gear wheel, distance drums mounted on said axle and said shaft for maintaining .the gear wheel and the pinion constantly in mesh regardless of any movements of the car axle relative to the driven shaft, and cushioning means applied to the shaft drum and interposed between the pinion and its shaft.

3. In a drive mechanism of the character described, the combination with the car-axle and a generator, of a driving member mounted on the axle, a shaft-hanger supported for movement toward and from said axle, a'shaft journaled in said hanger, a driven member mounted on said shaft in engagement with said driving member, distance drums mounted on said axle and said shaft for maintaining the driving member and the driven member in constant driving engagement regardless of any movement of the car-axle relative to said shaft, the distauce drum on said'shaft consisting of two sections, one section being connectedto the driven shaft and the other section being connected to said driven member, and cushioning means arranged within said drum sections for resisting turning of the pinion in either direction on its shaft.

4. In a drive mechanism of the character described, the combination with the car-axle and a generator, of a driving member mounted on the axle, a shaft-hanger supported for movement toward and from said axle, a shaft journaled in said hanger, a driven member mounted on said shaft in engagement with said driving member, distance drums mounted on said axle and said shaftfor maintaining the driving member and the driven member in constant driving engagement regardless of any movement of the car-axle relative to said shaft, the distance drum on said shaft consisting of two oppositely-facing hollow sections forming a chamber, one section being connected to the driven shaft and the other section being connectechto the ,driven member, a ring arranged in said chamber and free to rotate therein, said ring and said drum sections having oppositely disposed lugs, and springs arranged in said drum chamber and bearing against the respective lugs of said ring and said drum sections.

5. In a drive mechanism of the character described, the combination with the car-axle and a generator, of a driving member mounted on the axle, a shaft-hanger supported for movement toward and from said axle, a shaft journaled in said hanger, a driven member mounted on said shaft in engagement with said driving member, distance druniis mounted on said axle and said shaft for maintaining the driving member and the driven member in constant driving engagement regardless of any movement of the car-axle relative to said shaft, the distance drum on said shaft consisting of two oppositely-facing sections forming a hollow chamber, one section being connected to the driven shaft to turn therewith and the other section being free to turn thereon and having a hub extension connected with said driven member to turn therewith, a ring arranged centrally in said drum-chamber to rotate therein, said ring having lugs extending outwardly from its opposite sides and said drum-sections having corresponding lugs extending into said chamber in line with said ring lugs, and circular springs arranged in the drum-chamber on opposite,

sides of said ring and hearing at their ends against the opposing lugs of sand rmg and said drum-sections.

lVILLiARD REA RICHARDS. 

